Top golfers heading to town for 2013 Honda LPGA shootout

Friday, 15 February 2013 From Issue Vol. XXI No. 7

Pattaya is gearing up once again to host the finest female golfers on the planet when the 7th Honda LPGA Thailand ladies golf tournament gets underway at Siam Country Club Old Course from February 21-24.

Headlining the list of stars this year will be 2-time defending champion and world No 1 player Yani Tseng from Taiwan. Nobody who attended the final day of last’s year’s event will quickly forget the titanic and thrilling tussle Yani fought with Japan’s Ai Miyazato over the closing holes before securing victory on the final green.

The world’s top female golfers will be in Pattaya this month for the 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand.

Joining Yani and Ai at this year’s edition will be a veritable who’s who of ladies golf including Korea’s Na Yeon Choi and Inbee Park, Shanshan Feng from China, the 2007 champion Suzann Pettersen from Norway and American stars such as Stacey Lewis, Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer. Altogether some 50 of the top players in the world plus 10 invitees will attend, including the current top ten in the Rolex LPGA rankings.

Young players to watch out for this year include New Zealand teenage prodigy Lydia Ko and USA’s Cheynene Woods, the niece of golfing megastar Tiger Woods. Ko hit the world sporting headlines last year when she won the Canadian Women’s Open at just 15 years of age to become the youngest champion of an LPGA event.

Among the list of invitees are Thailand’s Juthanugarn sisters, Ariya and Moriya, who have appeared in all six previous editions of the tournament and have both recently joined the LPGA pro tour. Ariya finished tied 12th at last year’s event after shooting a superb 65 in the third round and will be hoping to improve even more on that performance this time around. Compatriot Pornanong Phatlum will join the starting list after coming tied 14th in 2012 and currently standing at 55 on the money list.

Also invited to attend this year is Mamiko Hika, the Japanese rookie player who won the Japan Women’s Amateur Championship in 2011 and 2012, and who will be exhibiting her golfing talent to the Thai public for the first time.

The Honda LPGA Thailand 2013 is a 72-hole stroke play tournament with no cut to win the prize money of 1.5 million USD or 45 million THB, and a special hole-in-one prize of an all-new CR-V, valued at 1,524,000 baht.

BBTV Channel 7 will be broadcasting all 4 days of tournament, from 14.00 – 17.00 on Thursday and Friday and from 15.00 – 17.00 on Saturday and Sunday. Coverage will also be shown via the Golf Channel network.

Tickets are available at Thai Ticket Major (02-262-3456 or visit thaiticketmajor.com) and can also be purchased at the course each day. Prices are 300 baht for Thursday & Friday, 400 baht for Saturday and 500 baht for Sunday. A 4-day pass can be bought for 800 baht. Spectators who are 18 years old or under and 60 years or over can gain free admission to the event.

This article was published in the Pattaya Mail newspaper on Friday February 15, 2013 (Vol. XXI No. 7).